Herringbone Patchwork Accent Wall {REVEAL!}

So sorry to leave you hanging yesterday. We had some last minute finishing touches to take care of before ‘after’ pictures were ready. But I was bound and determined to at least get a start on that blog post! So I’ll start right where we left off! A pattern within a pattern:

I used a basic stencil brush that you can get at any home improvement or craft store, and just blotted away! Some people prefer using a small foam roller for stencil application, but I prefer the brush and feel that it provides a crisper line. (sorry about the following crappy nighttime iphone pic)

Each ‘cell’ took me about 10 minutes. I just jammed out to Pentatonix and time flew by! Someday when I grow up, I want to be in an acapella group. That would aca-mazing. I’m totally not kidding either.

For the pale pink color paint, I used FrogTape’s wavy painters tape to create an abstract wavy pattern to mix things up.

And then we pulled ALL the tape off (including the green tape in the Herringbone pattern).

Next, Nick ripped 1×4’s in half (so they were 1×2’s), and routed them using the Bead and Cove router bit. And I spent an ungodly amount of time priming them with a silly paint brush instead of breaking out the paint sprayer (which I DEFINITELY used to paint them the next day).

Essentially, we’re making ‘trim’ pieces to frame each cell of our herringbone pattern for a more 3-D architectural effect. You could just buy trim pieces instead of making your own, but this way is cheaper and we’re penny-pinchers.

We started by first nailing up the vertical pieces using our RYOBI Brad Nailer. (in the pic below, the ‘cell’ in the lower middle that looks un-stenciled is painted with the metallic gold… the light is hitting it just so)

Then we used our Miter Saw to cut the angled sections with the setting at 30 degrees (angle found using an angle finder (NO MATH NECESSARY!). These angle pieces also had to be routed on the backside edges as well so that they would fit together snuggly with the vertical routed trim pieces. Comprende?

Nick slapped those bad boys up in record time. Hit 4-5 nails in each board, and move on to the next one!

Up close, my stencil job isn’t perfect. Especially the Brown Sugar color ones. But I punched my perfectionist self in the face and decided that the wall is busy enough that you can’t really even notice unless you poke your nose right up against the wall. And I won’t be doing that often.

We filled the seams and nail holes with white latex caulk (the same stuff we used on our crown moulding tutorial) and did some minor white paint touch-ups. And voila!

It has not escaped me that the existing carpet isn’t very pleasing to the eye, but the tightwad in me cannot justify replacing it. I’m planning to get a fluffy white area rug to go between their beds, and find some sort of small dresser or end table to put centered on that wall. And I’ve got ideas swirling around in my head for a DIY pendant light hanging over each of their beds. And then there’s bedding and window treatments to think about… so many ideas! So little time! AND MONEY!

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UPDATE! This room is done!!!!!!!!

And be sure to check out all the other projects we did to make this room just perfect for our twins!

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About Bethany Sy

Bethany Sy is the creative free-spirit behind DIY/Lifestyle blog, Reality Daydream. She and her husband have been making their 117-year-old homestead their own, and love sharing tips and tutorials along the way. When they found themselves in the trenches of infertility, they started a journey that would prove to be their most important DIY project ever, and have 3 beautiful girls to show for it.

This is absolutely amazing! I wish I were as creative and talented ( and could talk my husband into doing anything like this ). However, our current home is not planned to be our “forever” home, so we may hold out on some of our ideas.

Wow! Great job. What a lot of work! I probably would have had to stop after the herringbone and stenciling. I can’t always get my husband to do the millworker – although he has mad skills. Maybe I have to tell him that more often…it might get him to do more around our house!

You even made the toddler beds as fainting couches? You guys are really showing off now! Fantastic job all around!

That is the most beautiful and creative design I have ever seen! The wall and the wonderful beds are just enchanting. I seldom comment since I usually agree with the comments of your great work but this is so outstanding I had to take the time to add my .02 and most importantly, Thank You for sharing your ideas with us! Keep it coming. -Maria B,

I was curious.. Wouldn’t you be using the Toddler beds the other way around? I meant switching the two. I was under the impression that the “arm” of the toddler bed would be towards the center of the room and it would provide as a barricade to prevent the girls from falling down. The other side would be the wall of course. The way you have placed the two toddler beds shows that there is no protection for the girls from falling down since the arm of both the beds is towards the wall.
I hope I am making sense.

Debra, thanks for your concern! These beds are less than a foot from the ground, and we’re not too worried about it. We plan on putting a pool noodle under the fitted sheet along the edge of the mattress to provide a ‘lip’ of sorts. But if they fall out… they fall out! We’re pretty chill like that around here. If it was something where they could legitimately hurt themselves, we would be making some MAJOR changes!

Beautiful Beth! For the life of me, I can’t figure how you get your projects done with two toddlers running around! They must be very well behaved! Your mind must just race at at night figuring out what new and exciting project you are going to come up with next. That wall is unbelievable! You and Nick have really outdone yourselves this time. Thanks so much for the inspiration!

WHOAH! Holly SH*T you guys!!!!! Sorry for the profanity, but I think it was called for. This is AMAZING… I thought it was beautiful once you removed the tape but adding that trim was really the icing on the cake. Talk about details! You guys nailed it once again. And I meant that pun!

Gah! This is GORGEOUS! I absolutely love it. And I have already told you how much I love the toddler beds! I can’t wait to see this room when it is done! I am in the process of designing my twin girls’ “big girl” room with twin beds and am sure I will be drawing some inspiration from you!

Ours will turn 3 at the end of December. They are IVF twins, too 🙂 Absolutely my dreams come true. I saw you mention in another comment that your girls are good sleepers, which enables you to get a lot done. SAME HERE! Our girls used to go to bed at 6:30. Now it’s 7:15ish, but they still nap for 2-3 hours a day, so we kick it into gear at night and during nap time on the weekends. I love your blog! You have so many inspirational ideas and it’s nice to read posts from someone I relate to on a few different levels. Have a great weekend!

Laney we’re planning to put foam pool noodles under their fitted sheets to act as a ‘lip’ on the edges of the mattress. Honestly, we’re not too worried about it, because the beds are already very low to the ground, so if they fall out they shouldn’t really get hurt. 🙂

I love that wall. I don’t think my hubby and I are handy enough or have the tools, but I love it. Did you come up with a pattern (of which stencil and color to put where) beforehand or did you just wing it. The perfectionist in me wonders, as I can see myself hating the pattern if I just started it and just did it as I went.

I think this would be neat for my teenage daughters room when we switch her into a different bedroom soon. The color pattern would be different (as she loves purple) but I love this!

Lisa, I just painted a few ‘cells’ and then stood back and looked at it, and decided which color I felt needed to go next. My only goal was to not have any of the same color side-by-side anywhere and that didn’t seem to be a problem!

You should totally do this in your teenager’s room in shades of purple!

You guys had me at your staircase landing stencil/fabric accent wall…which is super fantastic. But I think this has topped it. “So little time! AND MONEY!” = very well said. Thanks so much for sharing all of your budget friendly/beautiful projects!

[…] can’t decide between the DIY Fainting Couch Toddler Beds or the Stenciled Herringbone Patchwork Wall for first place as my favorite thing in this room. Or the Papasan Chair turned Canopy Reading Nook? […]

[…] Beth and Nick are the dynamic and creative force behind Sawdust & Embryos. They envisioned a unique and wonderful stenciled patchwork wall for their girls’ room and one of the stencils used was the Rockin’ Roses Damask stenciled in a cheerful orange color. The other stencil patterns used were the Small Spanish Lace Furniture Stencil, the Small Margarita Lace Furniture Stencil, the Teardrop Trellis Bari J. Stencil, and also the Small Step Up Triangles Stencil. Click over to their blog to see their fab stencil how-to. […]

[…] easy… and they added the whimsy and pattern that I wanted to balance from the boldness of the stenciled herringbone accent wall. Don’t worry, the girls’ artwork (and some other sentimental art) has a special place in the […]

[…] time visualizing how I was going to paint the exterior. I knew I wanted to use the colors from the Stenciled Herringbone Accent Wall, but wasn’t exactly sure how it all was going down. And whenever that happens, I paint white so I […]

[…] the littles get their paint on! We gathered the same sample pots of paint that we used to paint the Herringbone Stencil Patchwork Wall. True, they’re not edible finger-paints, but our girls are past the stage of putting things in […]

[…] all that’s going on in the nursery with the bold roman shades, mini-fainting couches, and the herringbone patchwork stenciled wall, I knew the chandeliers would need to be white… and not too gaudy. As much DIY as we’ve […]

[…] for that space (just not THAT SMALL) because we didn’t want it to cover up all that work I did stenciling the herringbone wall, and our upholstery skillz on the Toddler Bed / Fainting Couches. Plus, I just wanted the dresser […]

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Attention: Almost any do-it-yourself project involves risk of some sort. Your tools, materials, and skills will vary, as will the conditions at your project site. Reality Daydream has made every effort to be complete and accurate in the instructions of the plans on this website. Reality Daydream will not assume any responsibility or liability for damages or losses sustained or incurred in the course of your project or in the use of the item you create. Always follow the manufacturer's operating instructions in the use of tools, check and follow your local building codes, and observe all commonly accepted safety precautions.